Because I love you, I’ve put together a list of Spanish slang words I wish I had known before my plane touched down in chula España (lovely Spain). With these 12 popular Spanish slang words you’ll be speaking like a Spaniard in no time.

Speaking Spaniard: 12 Popular Spanish Slang Words in Spain

1. Colega

Literal meaning: Colleague

Slang meaning: Friend, pal

One of the first Spanish words I ever learned was probably amigo (friend). While you can certainly use amigo in Spain, you’ll find that the younger Spaniards commonly use colega when they’re referring to a friend. Tip: keep the a at the end regardless of if your friend is male or female.

For example:

Ayer fui a la fiesta con mis colegas. (Yesterday I went to the party with my friends.)

¡Eh, colega! (Hey, friend!)

2. Tío(a)

Literal meaning: Uncle (Aunt)

Slang meaning: Friend, guy, pal

One of my young Spanish friends was always talking about this tío (uncle) and that tía (aunt) and I was convinced he had a huge family. WRONG! Here tío and tía can also be used to refer to a friend or even a stranger.

For example, you’re sitting on a bench in Retiro park watching the world go by and your colega (friend) says:

3. Chaval(a)

Slang meaning: Kid, youngster

I like to think of chaval and chavala as the younger version of tío and tía. While you’re in Spain you’ll likely come across gaggles of teens loitering in the street…yep, those are chavales (young people).

For example, an older Spaniard might say:

Los chavales hoy no tienen buenos modales. (The young people today don’t have good manners.)

A teen might greet a friend with:

¡Ey, chaval! (Hey, buddy!)

4. Los Viejos

Literal meaning: The elderly

Slang meaning: Parents

This one comes with a warning. Young people in Spain sometimes refer to their parents as los viejos (the elderly) in the presence of friends and, depending on their relationship with their parents, a daring few might also use it to directly address their parents. Ouch! In these cases, it’s more like saying “my old man” in an affectionate and playful way.

If you want to take the risk, this can be used as a substitution for the Spanish 101 classic padres (parents). Hint: if they’re your parents, you can also use mis (my) instead of los (the).

For example, you want to go out but your parents have other ideas. Tough luck for you! This is something you might comment to your friend:

6. Estar como una cabra

Literal meaning: To be like a goat

Slang meaning: To be crazy

If you have a batty great aunt who hoards tinfoil, you might refer to her (lovingly, of course!) with estar como una cabra (to be crazy or to be like a goat). Could be worse, I suppose. Hint: keep una and the final a on cabra despite the sex of the crazy person, okay? This word will always be feminine.

7. Estar en pelotas

Literal meaning: To be “in balls”

Slang meaning: To be naked

Hopefully you won’t need this term to describe your Christmas holiday break with family because nobody likes to see their parents (siblings, grandparents, etc.) naked or literally “in balls.” Or maybe you live at a nudist colony, in which case, no biggie. And you’re welcome for this helpful phrase.

Truly a moment you will never forget. And now you know how to share it with Spanish friends over cañas (beers)!

8. Vale

Literal meaning: “It’s worth it” or a ticket or coupon

Slang meaning: Okay, yes or “let’s do it!”

This one’s extremely popular. If someone tells you something and you want to confirm that you’ve heard, say vale (okay). You can also use it in place of the word “yes” when someone asks you a question.

For example, you’re cooking at a friend’s house and can’t find the salt. Your friend says while pointing: “La sal está allí.” (The salt is there.) You say: “¡Vale!” (Okay!)

¿Quieres ir al cine a las nueve? (Do you want to go to the movies at nine?) Yes, I’m speaking to you, reader. Of course you do! You know what to say: ¡Vale! (Yes!)

9. Okay

You’ve been working hard on all of this Spanish slang, so I thought I’d throw you a meatball. Believe it or not, it’s common to say okay in Spain. No translation needed. Maybe just try to say it with a little bit of an accent to sound local, okay?

10. Guay

Slang meaning: Cool

You’ll definitely want to incorporate this in your repertoire when you’re in Spain. If you like something because it’s cool, awesome or you get the picture…you can say that it’s guay (cool). You can also use it as a more excited “okay.”

11. Molar

Slang meaning: To like

If you know the verb gustar (to like) then you’re on your way to using molar (to like). Like gustar, this verb is conjugated to reflect the thing you like and doesn’t refer to you (although you might like yourself a lot too…but I digress).

For example, you show your brother a funny YouTube video. After watching it he exclaims:

¡Mola! or ¡Me mola! (I like it!)

12. Chulo

Slang meaning: Neat, lovely (referring to a thing)

In beginner Spanish, I learned and often relied on the word bonito (pretty) to describe nice looking things. In Spain, it’s common to use the word chulo (neat, lovely) in the place of bonito (pretty). Hint: if you use chulo to refer to a person in Spain, it can also mean conceited.

For example, if you give your friend a birthday gift and she exclaims ¡Qué chulo! (How lovely!) then you’ve probably done a good job on the gift.

FluentU has a wide variety of videos—topics like soccer, TV shows, business, movies and even magical realism, as you can see here:

FluentU brings native videos within reach with interactive transcripts. You can tap on any word to look it up instantly. Every definition has examples that have been written to help you understand how the word is used. If you see an interesting word you don’t know, you can add it to a vocab list.

Learn all the vocabulary in any video with FluentU’s Learn Mode. Swipe left or right to see more examples of the word you’re on.

The best part is that FluentU keeps track of the vocabulary that you’re learning, and it recommends you examples and videos based on the words you’ve already learned. Every learner has a truly personalized experience, even if they’re learning the same video.

About FluentU

FTC Disclosure

FluentU is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. We also participate in other affiliate advertising programs for products and services we believe in.

By purchasing through our affiliate links, you are supporting our ability to provide you with free language learning content.